all the complaints that she received from school or neighbours. She passed away about 1.5 years ago and my only regret in life is that I could not be there with her then.
PERSONALITY PROFILE
How did your career start, and how did you end up as a marine engineer sailing the seven seas?
No More A
‘Naughty’ Boy
There was a tourist attraction “Tomb of Shershah the emperor” in the small town where I was growing up which attracted foreign tourists. I used to go talk to them and collect stamps or coins of their countries from them. I was always curious about the places they came from and had a dream to visit those countries. The opportunity came when I was doing my preuniversity studies. A very close friend of my sister was familiar with the shipping profession and advised me to take up the entrance examination. This was just the right profession to pursue my dream of travelling and the rest is history.
Can you share with us briefly, your early childhood and education? I was born in a small town called Sasaram in Bihar, India where I received my early education. I have an older sister and a younger brother. After completing my secondary education, I moved to another town called Gorakhpur where I completed my pre-university studies. What are your strength and weaknesses, and what does really matter? I was always attracted to science subjects and mathematics as these supported my logical thinking but only could manage passing marks in subjects like history which did not work on logic. I liked arts but did not do well in engineering drawings. My engineering drawings were always works of art or should I say “Modern Art”, which did not amuse the examiners when it came to giving credits. Who are the people of influence in your life and how did they shape your life and career direction? My mother was always my source of inspiration, and I learnt the value of tolerance and patience. I was perhaps the naughtiest child growing up, and she had to live with 26
May to Jun 2022
How do you think work life balance can be improved? Clear goals and objectives help a great deal in reducing stress. Regular informal reviews rather than waiting, for the end of the year. Having a hobby, and spending time pursuing that, helps reduce stress. Listening to your body, and treating it accordingly, helps. Goals and ambitions are fine, but if you and the loved ones around you, are getting stressed, because of that; then to me these are not worth it.
You’ve had a remarkable career at Wärtsilä, what is the secret of your success?
Can you tell us about the present challenges you face in your work life?
I am a great believer of relationships, both externally with customers and other stakeholders, and internally, within the company. Our business environment is changing rapidly, and we need to keep learning to stay relevant. We learn most from our customers. You need to have a genuine concern about their needs, and in order to do that you must understand their businesses. You must understand the impact of your actions on their businesses and act accordingly. I have invested my entire career just doing that. I never felt ashamed, of asking and learning from my customers, peers or from other stakeholders. I will say that this has been my mantra.
Presently, I am involved in discussing, decarbonisation of the shipping fleet, of our customers. This is a very big challenge for the industry and the road is not clear. Every ship is unique, in its needs, and every owner, has its own investment profile. So, the times are challenging for all of us. Choice of future fuel, and choice of various energy saving devices, pose additional challenges. I am trying my best, to guide the industry, to the best of my ability.
Can you tell us about your family life, and what matters most to you?
Marine & Offshore is delighted to profile Sanjay Verma in our Personality segment, Sanjay is currently based in Singapore, and is Director Decarbonisation Solutions, Wärtsilä Singapore Pte Ltd. He is responsible for market innovation and developing sustainable shipping solutions. Goh Tz’en Long files this story.
years. I had joined Wartsila as a Technical Service Manager. After working with Wartsila for just three months, an opportunity came to do Sales. This was the pivotal moment of my life and after joining Sales, I realised that I was meant to be here. I must give credit to my mentor, Mr K R Sachar, who provided me with the direction, and helped me overcome some barriers, of public speaking and stage fright.
My wife Neena is very efficient in-house management, and a bit of a fanatic, when it comes to cleanliness. After we moved to Singapore, she took up teaching Hindi (our national language) to the kids in neighbourhood. I have two wonderful daughters, Mili and Nisha, who are my pillars of strength. They are uniquely different; Mili being my mental pillar, and Nisha being the emotional one. Mili did her masters in Shipping Finance and is a Chartered Ship Broker while Nisha did her graduation in Social Work and is a Child Protection Officer with MSF. How do you like to spend time with them? I am a certified foodie and I like to experiment with food. Fortunately, both my daughters have the same passion as well. We love to cook and talk. With my elder daughter, there are also some shop talks, and these days decarbonisation is a hot topic. In fact, my younger daughter, who has little to do with decarbonisation, also talks about Hydrogen and Ammonia amidst the laughter. We talk a lot, and sometimes, the lady of the house feels neglected and vetoes our discussions to a stop. Can you share with us some of the pivotal moments in your life? I sailed on ships as an engineer, for about 14 years and then I was with Lloyds Register as a ship and industry surveyor for four years. I thought and worked as an engineer all these
Some customers still like to solve their decarbonization challenges by sending out RFQ’s for products. Decarbonization is a consultative process and every individual ship has to be treated differently depending on their design, installed machinery, age, route, profile among others. My present challenge is to communicate and make these customers understand the process of decarbonization and the importance of energy efficiency in the whole decarbonization process. What matters most about decarbonisation and sustainability? Climate change is real and the effects of which, we can see very clearly these days. The road of carbon neutrality is not clear, but social awareness is increasing. Social media is playing a big role. The youths are getting involved, and that is the good news. There are many, sitting behind the fences today, but the public at large; will make the changes more than rules and regulations. Consumers will dictate, and the companies, which are reluctant to change, will have their assets stranded, very soon. At this time, leadership is very crucial and important. Any interesting anecdotes you would like to share with us? Apart from being a compulsive foodie, and a decently good cook of north Indian food, I have a passion for travelling and discovering new countries and culture. So far, I have managed to travel to 127 countries, with a target to reach 150. Covid, did impact my quest for new countries, but I am still hopeful to reach my milestones. I came across a quote, when I was very young but somehow it found a place in my heart and is something that I truly believe in: “There are no strangers in this world, they are the friends you have not met yet.” May to Jun 2022
27